Papa Bear

Awkward

It isn't planned. 

If she's being honest, Teri had never planned on introducing Emerson to any of her castmates, except maybe the girl playing her fictional daughter. But, Dean's working, filming a movie, and Jon is working, too, and the last few weeks of summer meant Emerson didn't have school, so bringing her to set was the only real option she had. 

"Okay, books...coloring books...markers...are you sure you want an orange?" Teri rifles through her daughter's backpack, holding up the fruit in question. 

"Yes, Mommy." Emerson nods patiently, finishing up the last of her sliced strawberries. 

"Okay. Bring a banana, just in case. I haven't had much luck with these oranges." she reaches across the counter to grab a banana from the bunch - technically, she's waiting for them to be over-ripe, in order to make Dean a batch of his favorite banana bread for his birthday - but she'll still have plenty, even if Emerson snacks on one. "When we get home, tonight, we have baking to do." 

"We do?" Emerson's big brown eyes look up at her mother, bright with curiosity. 

"Papa Bear's birthday is on Saturday and we've got make his favorite banana bread." Teri informs her, dropping the fruit into her daughter's Barbie backpack. 

"Oooh!" Emerson squeals with excitement. "Can we get him a card, too, Mommy?" 

"I thought we could go shopping, tomorrow." Teri grins, scooping up her purse and keys. "He needs to open presents, doesn't he?" 

"Duh!" 

"Well, then, we have a shopping date, tomorrow." she ushers her daughter out of the front door. "But, for now, work. Let's go, baby." 

Teri listens to Emerson rattle on about what she should pick out for Papa Bear's birthday, grinning all the while. She's beyond thrilled that Emerson loves Dean, even more, now, since they've been together for almost two years. That could have been a disaster but Emerson had embraced Dean's almost constant presence in her life and even seemed to like the bragging rights having both a Daddy and a Papa Bear gave her. 

She thinks Emerson has settled on a new thermos, by the time they get in the car, but she's not quite sure. 

... 

The thing about Emerson is...she's chatty. 

She is almost never quiet, at least, not to this degree. While she was with her mother in her trailer and in wardrobe and make-up, she'd been her usual self, chatting away and making friends with everyone around the book she keeps her head in when Teri's busy. But, when Teri had brought her onto the actual set where the other cast members would be, that's when the change happened. 

Emerson shut completely down, with no real explanation as to why. 

"Is she okay?" James mumbles, almost indistinctly after the director calls cut. "She looks a little angry." 

"I'm not sure. She was fine, this morning." Teri sighs softly, looking over at her daughter. She's furiously coloring in her book, and refusing to say anything to anyone except for Teri. Not even James, who'd somehow (Teri suspects bribery) managed to charm laughter out of all of the other kids on the set, could get Emerson to say anything. 

A minute of observation and a light bulb appears to go off above James' head but he's careful to voice his thoughts away from listening ears; "Y'know, and this is just a hunch, but you don't seem all that comfortable with the other women on set. And, they can definitely be a catty bunch. She could be picking up on that." 

"This is the largest cast I've been a part of. I'm not used to the dynamics, yet." Teri explains shyly. 

"Lois and Clark, right?" James tilts his head. "You were Lois."